i'd like to run an idea past the people who know stuff!

in another thread i stated that my red dot powder was sticking to my powder measure pan...and i thought that the pan surface had something on it that was causing the stick.

so i washed it in alcohol, aceton, naptha, laquer thinner, dawn soap, all to no avail.

anywhere between .01 grains to .03 grains each time ....if you tap the pan maybe some will come loose.
mostly not.

my conclusion is that there must be moisture of a minor degree in my powder (noticed some clumping as i was pouring it.)

so.... what do you people in the know think about a dry rice bag in with the powder? (in the jug)
or maybe a "desecant" bag in with the powder to dry it out?

i hit my pan with the wifes powder puff (non perfumed talcum powder) and that seems to help but only in the short term.

so what do you think about mixing a quarter thimble full of talc in a 8 pound jug of powder?
do you think that would that work?

or put a saltine cracker in with the powder?

anything to stop the clumping!

I would and have rubbed reloading tools with a used dryer sheet to get rid of the clinging. Worth a try before contaminating your powder.

Static charge; my Lyman pan is metal and doesn't do this. Is your measure pan plastic?

I would try one new pound of powder before using the desiccant packs in the jug of old powder. I would think that moisture content of the powder would have an effect on burning rate.

oh yeah ....tried the dryer sheet....actually that was first....metal pan.

i have 4 metal pans...they all do it![smilie=b:

I would try rubbing the pan with graphite. Perhaps that will slick it up.

My opinion only with no facts to support it. We use uncooked rice in a bowl or plastic bag to dry out cellphones very quickly. The rice is still solid after it drys out the cellphone. I think in my opinion it would work and then allow you to remove the rice. I would put the rice in a filter bag for long turn use.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bookworm

I would try rubbing the pan with graphite. Perhaps that will slick it up.

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This is my suggestion as well

I would not add any foreign agent to any powder at any time!

Have you called one of the powder companies? You have too much moisture in the can...the trick is how much to take out and an acceptable method to do it.

If your powder does have moisture in it, make sure the pan is slightly warmer then the powder. Warm the pan with a hair dryer for a couple of seconds then fill with the powder and see if it stops sticking. If moisture comes into contact with a cold surface, then it will condense, and cause the sticking problem that you have.

If that works, put the powder that is in the can in the fridge for twenty minutes with the lid off. The moist powder must be cooler than the pan to stop sticking.
Don't add talc to the can. Use a desiccant in a bag in the can.

I can see no down sides to putting desiccant bags or bags of rice in your powder. They will only absorb water, and not add anything...

So what did the powder manufacturer say?

Polish your pan and wax it with car wax. I polished the inside of my Dillon powder dropper, made a big difference on load charge weight consistency. Attachment 204006 before polishingAttachment 204007after polishing to mirror shine

Calling the powder manufacturer is the best idea here. Playing around with the moisture content may effect burn rate, something I wouldn't want to do.

I saw and responded to your other post. You are four hours to the south of me so the weather is not that much different than here - you can have humidity but not like some places in the south get.

Can you give a little bit more information on your Red Dot? Where are you keeping it stored? How old is it? I use Red Dot a lot- right now, I have a 8 pound jug that I transfer in to a 1 pound Red Dot container. I really have never experienced what I would call a "moisture content" problem with any of it - or all the other powders I use.

I am also curious if you have tried some RD from another container and still get the same results? If a container is opened, powder poured out and back in, etc. and the cap screwed on tight, I don't see how you would be getting enough moisture content to mess things up. All of my powders are stored in my basement - underground level - where there can be coolness and I'm sure humidity depending on the time of the year.

Any time I have used anything "plastic", I have had issues with static problems but a good wiping with a used dryer sheet or a dusting of graphite has taken care of it. I use plastic dippers at times and my powder funnels are the Lee red plastic ones - no Lee bashing please. Once they've been wiped or dusted, the powder flows just fine. My scales are two different RCBS 505 which have metal pans. Once in a while I might have a grain or two "stick" when pouring the out but that happens regardless of what powder I'm using - RD, BE, Unique, Green Dot or black powder. A little tap of the pan with my index finger as I'm pouring from the pan knocks them off.

What scale and pan are you using? As suggested, you might want to try polishing your scale pan and waxing it. Remember though that "polishing" is no different than "sanding" - material can be removed depending on how much you polish or how heavy of a head you have. Once you polish your pan, be sure to check you scale with weights to make sure of the accuracy of the scale.

powder sucks in moisture and lets it back out all the time.

I'd spray some graphite down the spout, and work some powder through it.
I worked graphite into my plastic pans too have no problems with them, they took up abut .3grs worth of graphite.
most powders have graphite on them anyway, it helps them flow through the packaging equipment.